[GOP Gov. Rick] Scott still has a net worth of $82.9 million after sinking $73 million of his personal fortune into his 2010 victory. With the might of the RPOF machine behind him, Scott should be able to replicate the total $100 million he spent in his first campaign, if it comes to that.

If Crist runs, it will come to that.

"Charlie Crist is the most aggressive and effective fundraiser in Florida history, but he did that as a Republican. It remains to be seen if he can replicate that as a Democrat," said friend and former Crist fundraiser Brian Ballard, a GOP lobbyist who is supporting Scott's re-election.

While Crist was a prolific fundraiser as a Republican, much of that cash dried up once he left the party in 2010 to run for Senate as an independent.

But he’s connected among trial lawyers, a cash-flush traditionally Democratic constituency, which will help. And, as the story suggests, if any pol can figure out how to shake the money tree in a new party, it’s Crist.